Author: Ian Bothwell

In my side yard hangs a blue plastic swing with yellow ropes.  It has been there for fifteen years and is still in excellent condition. The only thing it lacks is a child.  It has served all our grands when they have come to visit (which is never long enough).  The first one to use it now has a driver’s license.  If the swing had a memory I wonder if it misses her.  I do.

How grand to be a swing and carry children heavenward.  When a child is tiny they get very short rides upward.  But as the months pass by we hear, “Higher, Grandpa, higher.”  I’m not sure if I recall any of them ever asking for me to stop.  It is I that grew weary.  I should not have.  Why is it that we rarely treasure moments until they are gone and irretrievable?

One of the joys of being a teacher is to take students higher and higher.  I want them to catch a vision of a better life.  I want them to see that a life of service is the richest life possible.  It isn’t as easy as it sounds.  The world is bombarding them with a message of materialism and self-gratification.  Fortunately, I have them as a captive audience for thirty-six hours throughout the semester.  That is a rare privilege with golden opportunities to effect change.  I seem to hear God say, “Higher, take them higher.”  Not a class must go by without a passage from His word and prayer.

I like our blue and yellow swing.  Someday it will hear a delighted little voice say, “Higher, push me higher.

Written by Roger Bothwell on August 11, 2010

Spring of Life Ministry, PO Box 124, St. Helena, CA 94574

Rogerbothwell.org

 

 

We spent the weekend at the home of friends in the Finger Lakes Region of New York.  They have a veranda with a million dollar view of one of the lakes surrounded by lush verdant forest.  Perhaps I have a touch of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder because I was persistently annoyed by the top of one dead tree that stuck up above a perfect layer of green.  I wanted to take a chain saw and go down the hillside and eliminate it.  When I finally mentioned it my host was horrified.   “You can’t,” he exclaimed. “It’s my hawk stick!”   He’s an avid birdwatcher and apparently raptors love to sit atop that one dead treetop giving both the hawk and my host great views.

It was amazing.  Once I realized the dead tree had a valuable purpose I no longer wanted to cut it down.  It was useful.  It provided something the living trees did not.  Solomon was right again.  There is a purpose for everything.  Actually, it’s a lesson I have discovered about people.  Have you ever met someone whom you deemed to be useless?  I’m ashamed to mention this because that is so wrong.  But I have been guilty.  It was only after I knew more about the person that I realized they had a gift, they had purpose, they had someone they loved and it was none of my business to make such a judgment.   There is no such thing as a useless person.  Just because I wasn’t perceptive enough to discern their value was a judgment about me and not them.  I need to remind myself that I have come across individuals who most likely thought I was useless.

Written by Roger Bothwell on August 16, 2010

Spring of Life Ministry, PO Box 124, St. Helena, CA 94574

Rogerbothwell.org

 

Until 1800 ancient Egyptian writings were mostly untranslatable.   Then the Rosetta Stone was found.  It held the carved inscription of a decree by Ptolemy V in three languages.  It was a light on the ancient world that ultimately opened up the translation of ancient Egyptian texts.

Jesus was the Rosetta Stone that flooded the world with light about the true nature of His Father.  Prior to Jesus Satan was able to blame all manner of evil on God.  Through the centuries God’s character was besmirched by man’s ignorance of who God really was.  Men did horrible things to each other and then claimed they were but following God’s commands.  God is portrayed as vengeful, petty and easily offended.  It was true that He was better than the portrayal of the pagan gods around Israel, but the truth about Him was shrouded by men’s continual creating Him in their image.

When Jesus came that all changed.  Jesus said, “When you saw me you saw the Father.  He and I are one.”  God’s character was revealed to be that of a merciful Father who longed to forgive and restore.  He was a giving God who sent rain upon the just and the unjust.  He was a Father so committed to returning us to Eden that He gave us Jesus as an atonement for our sins.   No longer did we have to fear speaking to Him.   He bade us to come boldly before His throne.  We were adopted into the family and became sons and daughters, princes and princesses of the King of the universe.  We became heirs of the Kingdom with Jesus Himself.

Just think of Revelation  3:21,  “Blessed is he who overcomes for he shall sit with  me in my throne someday.”

Written by Roger Bothwell on August 17, 2010

Spring of Life Ministry, PO Box 124, St. Helena, CA 94574

Rogerbothwell.org

I am sitting here looking at a list of doctrinal beliefs.  It defines a certain kind of Christian.  It sets him or her apart from other Christians who do not subscribe to this particular list.  I’m not so sure Jesus ever intended there to be different kinds of Christians. Either you are or you are not.  He had a criterion.  In John 13:35 He clearly said, “People will know you are my disciples if you love one another.”

In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus lists some characteristics Christians should exhibit – things like purity, humility, and hunger for righteousness.  What I can’t find is Jesus’ list of theological tenets.  I do realize if you are going to have an organization one needs parameters of membership.  This is a fact of life one finds difficult to contend with.  The problem is once you draw a circle to determine who is in you have automatically created those who are out.  Isms create schisms.   Perhaps this would not be so bad if it were not for human nature that then creates “them” and “us.”  Of course “us” is the best group and “them” have deficits and are not quite as good as “us.”  This is when love begins to suffer.

We need organization.  Collectively we can accomplish so much more than we can if each of us is running our own little program.  And so grows the problem out of our desire to accomplish much good.  We can become so mentally attuned to tenets and theological purity that we then let slide Jesus’ criterion of loving.  Some of the harshest people I have known are theological purists.  To be a real Christian isn’t so much agreeing with each other as much as it is loving each other.

Written by Roger Bothwell on August 30, 2010

Spring of Life Ministry, PO Box 124, St. Helena, CA 94574

Rogerbothwell.org

 

It was very quiet this morning when I went to the street for the morning paper.  It was quiet except for a family of cardinals.  Mom and dad and three adult-sized young ones were all over the yard while having a full blown conversation.  They were celebrating.  This was not the first attempt for this mom and dad.  Earlier in the summer we were watching them raise three only to have them taken by who knows what.  The couple tried again. Again they lost their babies.  The third time was a charm.  In the words of Dora the Explorer, “They did it.”  What a happy lot they were this morning.

Loss is a part of life.  We never really own anything.  We just get to use things for a while.  It is the same with people.  For a while we get to be with them, we get to love them, but they will ultimately go away.  Or if we are fortunate we will be the first to go away.  Emily Dickenson once wrote, “Parting is all we know of heaven and all we need of hell.”

However, I do not wish to dwell upon loss.  I want to join my cardinal family and rejoice at their persistence and ultimate success.  Oh, that we all should have such fortitude.  I do not know if they suffered grief over the loss of two families.  What I do know is they kept trying and to great success. This morning there were streaks of red throughout the yard as they experienced life to its fullest.  As we age some of us realize our strongest times are history but ultimate strength is yet to come.  It is so grand to know Jesus.  He makes all the difference.

Written by Roger Bothwell on August 18, 2010

Spring of Life Ministry, PO Box 124, St. Helena, CA 94574

Rogerbothwell.org

 

Have you ever had someone give you something you really didn’t want or like? You say “thank you” and then try to figure out what to do with it.  You can’t take it to the church welfare center lest they see it there.  Usually it ends up on a shelf or in a drawer and if you are lucky you can regift it. I’ve never been much of a regifter.  Somehow it seems cheesy to give someone something you don’t like just to get rid of it.  We have a table in our department where we put things for our students to take if they want them. I like that.  The person who gets it wants it.

There is the gift of salvation.  I have spent my life trying to regift it. Don’t get me wrong, it isn’t that I don’t like it or want it.  Wow – quite to the contrary!  I love it.  I want it.  That’s the point.  I think it is so great I want everyone to have it.  Salvation is one of those wondrous things you can regift and yet still have it.   Better yet you can keep on regifting because there is always more.  There is an abundance for everyone. It is like Bartholomew Cubbins many hats.  As fast as he could take them off another hat appeared.

Giving away salvation is not as easy as it sounds.  There is a natural human tendency to want to do things for ourselves.   Part of “Pride of Ownership” is having earned it.  Sorry, this is one area where it is all gift.  We receive it because God loves us.  It is a great thing to keep.  It gets even better if we regift it.  Please see the end of Ephesians 2.

Written by Roger Bothwell on August 19, 2010

Spring of Life Ministry, PO 124, St. Helena, CA 94574

Rogerbothwell.org

I rarely give my students passages to memorize.  Instead we read and talk about the significant ideas contained in important passages.  Sometimes I wonder if I am doing them a disservice not to require that they put them to heart.  I remember hating to have to memorize.  Yet decades later I find it to be rewarding when I can recall a passage and once again ponder the beauty and import of certain works.  Memorized verses of Scripture, poetry and other works seem to be mental anchors around which I can tie new and challenging ideas.  Today’s students have laptops and other electronic devices that instantly find and reproduce almost any literary content.  Has memorization become a non-essential?   With a small handheld device my wife can within a few seconds find factual answers to most anything that strikes our curiosity.

Yet I am uneasy about the mere reproduction of facts as opposed to thinking about things.  A set of encyclopedias whether on paper or on an electronic screen is only information.  Information is the stuff of thought.  It is fodder for ideas.  It is the inspiration for the creation of new concepts and new understandings.  I must teach my students to love.  Love is the foundation of all true education.  It is that which builds character and prepares people for unselfish service, the only avenue to lasting happiness. Will it not enhance their journey to put 1 Corinthians 13 into their mental library?    The Psalmist wrote, “Thy word have I hid in my heart that I might not sin against thee.”  When temptation comes they will not check their laptops.  But they will certainly check the content of their characters.   Something needs to be there.

Written by Roger Bothwell on August 31, 2010

Spring of Life Ministry, PO Box 124, St. Helena, CA 94574

Rogerbothwell.org

 

At first I would have thought they were just married or about to be except they had two little girls with them who appeared to be about three and four. We came around the corner of an aisle in one of those discount warehouse stores and there they were; making out.  Because of their cart and where they were embraced we couldn’t get past and they seemed in no hurry to stop the lip lock.  We had a few choices.  We could have said, “Excuse me.”  We could have backed out and gone down another aisle but instead we waited.  I never thought an aisle of dog and cat food could be so entertaining.  Finally it was over.  I am not sure if they ever did see us even though we were just a few feet away. When I said to my wife we ought to show them how it’s really done all I got was an eye-roll and a “tist” sound.  How come there isn’t a correct spelling for “tist”?  “Tist” is an amazing word for which there is no retort.  How do you answer “tist”?

As the lovers wandered down the aisle I wondered why is it that we are uncomfortable with publicly displayed affection.  It certainly is much to be preferred to a public brawl and I have seen those in stores, actually even in church.  Humans are interesting creatures.  We have such an array of emotions.  We cry when we are sad and we cry when we are happy.  Do you remember Revelation 21:4 where it says God will wipe away our tears?   That must mean tears from sorrow because I personally will flood heaven with my tears of joy and I don’t need or want them to be wiped away.

Written by Roger Bothwell on February 23, 2009

Spring of Life Ministry, PO Box 124, St. Helena, CA 94574

Rogerbothwell.org

Having to go to the DMV I went prepared.  I took plenty of reading material. I even went a half an hour before it opened and discovered over fifty people already in line at the door.  I was having a difficult time reading because of the conversation of three men behind me.  They appeared to be in their fifties and were making such comments as “I won’t take any painting jobs in Gardner because people in Gardner don’t pay.”  Then there was this line.  “I got a traffic ticket in Gardner once for running a stop sign.  I will never drive to Gardner again.”   What frightened me about this conversation was these people VOTE.  It is amazing that democracy works.

How often do we paint life with broad strokes and great generalities?  I fear it wasn’t just these fellows behind me.  I hear people say all manner of foolishness when speaking of other groups of people whether it be race, religion or politics.  “All liberals want to give our country away.”  “All conservatives have their heads stuck in the sand.”  On and on the foolishness goes.  While it is true there are similar characteristics in groups of people, it is also true that everyone is an individual.  Just because you meet one nasty, selfish Irishman (I only used that randomly) certainly does not mean all Irishmen are nasty and selfish.  It is just stupid.  Just as each of us want to be treated as an individual with our own unique ideas so we should grant everyone the same luxury.

God gave us brains so each of us can develop our own thoughts, our own identities and our own personalities.  Rarely does the word “all” ever result in truth.

Written by Roger Bothwell on May 22, 2009

Spring of Life Ministry, PO Box 124, St. Helena, CA 94574

Rogerbothwell.org

 

I was feeling really good when I went to chapel at our college yesterday. My new metal knee is working just fine.  It likes the cold and we have lots of cold these days. As I settled in I suddenly felt not just fine but amazing for as I started reading the printed program I realized just how old I really am.  According to the printed date on the program I am over 155 years old. Radical!  I want to announce to you that I am really doing great. Not only am I still walking, teaching and driving, I still have all my teeth.  Better than that you should see my wife.  She is over 156 and she is totally awesome.  I think we should be on the cover of AARP’s monthly magazine.  Of course the federal government hates us because of the ninety years of social security checks we have received.  We got all our money back.

Age is very relevant and very important in this life.  When we are little we use fractions when we tell people how old we are.  “I am four and a half.” After we pass our forties we speak in generalities.  Note the paragraph above.  I said I am over 155. I did not how much older.

Our great joy is Jesus is about to make age totally irrelevant. When we are living forever, what’s a 1000 years?  I want to learn to play the cello like Yo-Yo Ma.  Now, I don’t have enough time.  Soon, I will have all the time I need.  Jesus is so special.  While here we don’t have time for our dreams.

Jesus will give us time for every dream.

Written by Roger Bothwell on January 23, 2009

Spring of Life Ministry, PO Box 124, St. Helena, CA 94574

Rogerbothwell.org